say what you will about the state of the economy, but americans didn't hold back on what turned out to be a record-breaking holiday weekend for retailers. and it's not over yet. cyber monday is officially in full swing and experts predict today will be the biggest online shopping day of the year to the tune of $1.5 billion. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: from the moment doors opened thursday, before the thanksgiving dishes were even done, almost a quarter billion shoppers will have been online or in stores. >> i just prepare, put my speakers on and go for it. >> reporter: shopping started earlier than ever, and in spite of the employee protests, the early opening paid off. according to the national retail federation, more than 35 million shopped on thanksgiving, six million more than last year. black friday was big, too. 89 million braved the crowds in search of those hard-to-beat bargains, up from 86 million last year. >> the biggest wish list is -- >> uggs. >> reporter: and americans spent more, too. the average shopper spent $423 this weekend, up from $398 last year,